STANFORD – For the most part, Stanford coach David Shaw was pleased with how Keller Chryst performed in his debut as the Cardinal’s starting quarterback last Saturday at Arizona.
Shaw, however, sees room for improvement – and expects to see some when Chryst starts at home for the first time this Saturday against Oregon State.

“The talent and the ability are 100 percent there,” Shaw said. “It’s just a matter of him getting used to the big stage, finding the right guys and being able to make split-second decisions.
“He did that well a few times. We expect him to do more of that (against Oregon State) and continue to grow.”

Chryst, who was not made available to the media on Tuesday, completed 14 of 30 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona, leading Stanford (5-3, 3-3 Pac-12) to a 34-10 victory.

The junior also threw one interception, but the pick was negated when freshman guard Nate Herbig – who was also making his debut as a starter – knocked the ball out of Wildcats cornerback Dane Cruikshank’s grasp and senior fullback Chris Farrell recovered.

“The ball didn’t go where we wanted it to go,” Herbig said. “I saw the guy coming and I threw myself into him. When I looked up, I saw our guy running with the ball, and I was happy.”

Shaw was particularly pleased with some of Chryst’s early throws. Although Chryst was sacked four times, there were also occasions when the quarterback turned potential sacks into two- or three-yard gains.

The main thing Shaw would like to see Chryst improve on is connecting with wide receivers on deep balls. Shaw also wants Chryst to work on his timing, reading coverages and ball placement.

Still, the coach believes Chryst will get the hang of those things soon enough.

“We don’t expect him to be Johnny Unitas right off the bat,” Shaw said. “We don’t even expect him to be Kevin Hogan, who won a few (Pac-12) titles for us. That’s not fair. We don’t expect perfection. We just expect him to grow (each) week.”

• Stanford tailback Christian McCaffrey ended a pair of negative streaks against Arizona. Not only did the junior score his first touchdown since the Cardinal’s Sept. 17 win over USC – in fact, he scored three – he also scored the first road TDs of his three-year career.

“It was a vintage Christian McCaffrey night,” Shaw said.

The coach said Stanford’s offensive line, which played better than it had in weeks, had a lot to do with that.

“I told them, ‘Don’t forget that guy Christian McCaffrey,’” Shaw said. “‘Remember what happens when you get him out into space. Remember what happens when you get him out into the open.’ They made holes and made sure he got through the line of scrimmage.”

Whereas running backs often credit their offensive lines for giving them room to run, Herbig said it’s McCaffrey who deserves much of the credit.

“Christian kind of makes us look good,” the freshman guard said. “It’s easier to block when you have No. 5 in the backfield.”

• On the injury front, Shaw listed junior fullback Daniel Marx, who has already missed several games with an undisclosed injury, as doubtful for Saturday’s game.

“We hope to have him back doing football things (in practice) this week,” the coach said. “If he’s back next week (against Oregon), great.”

Senior offensive lineman Johnny Caspers is questionable for the Oregon State game.

• Defensive end Solomon Thomas has recorded sacks in four consecutive games and is currently tied for second in the Pac-12 in both sacks (seven) and tackles for loss (11). The junior’s success is a major reason why Stanford’s defense has held each of its past three opponents to just 10 points.

“Solomon’s a game-changer,” Shaw said. “He gets a lot of TFLs and hurries against the quarterback because of his speed and his explosiveness.”

Sophomore strong safety Justin Reid said Thomas is especially at his best when the Cardinal needs to prevent touchdowns.

“He just makes plays,” Reid said. “The big stops he makes on third-down situations in the red zone are huge for us.”

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